Picture Playground is Apple’s picture era app that launched final yr. Most individuals might not have a number of use for the cartoonish photographs that it produces in iOS 18, however you are going to need to take one other have a look at it in iOS 26 as a result of Apple has improved its algorithms.
Folks look extra pure within the photographs generated by the app, with extra practical eyes and extra variation in hair that higher matches pattern images.
As a fast recap, Picture Playground permits you to sort in any phrase to generate a picture in certainly one of three non-realistic kinds. You can even choose pre-determined scenes and props that Apple suggests, and generate photographs that includes your family and friends. It is these photographs the place you will note the largest distinction in iOS 26, as a result of the content material generated based mostly on photographs of individuals has modified fairly a bit.
Animation
In iOS 18, images generated utilizing the Animation model have blunt hair with little variation, a number of distinction, and unnatural trying faces, however in iOS 26, options are softer, hair is extra various, and it has extra movement. Garments additionally look extra pure, although Picture Playground would not usually hassle matching outfits.
iOS 18.6 picture in center, iOS 26 picture on properPicture Playground’s Animation model in iOS 26 appears to take extra liberty with picture backgrounds, pose, and physique form, and it is higher at small particulars like particular eyebrow form.
iOS 18.6 picture in center, iOS 26 picture on properSketch
With the Sketch model, Picture Playground is once more higher at matching facial features, options, and hair model. The picture on the precise appears extra like MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera than the center picture.
iOS 18.6 picture in center, iOS 26 picture on properIllustration
Illustration has a number of the similar traits as Sketch, higher capturing colours and inventing higher backgrounds.
iOS 18.6 picture in center, iOS 26 picture on properAnimals and Landscapes
The modifications to Picture Playground will also be seen in photographs of animals, meals, locations, and extra, in all three built-in kinds.
iOS 18.6 picture in center, iOS 26 picture on properFeelings
Picture Playground appears to be higher at reflecting emotion, too. For this picture, the modifier “sobbing” was added to the picture. It did not fairly present tears, however there may be extra emotion within the iOS 26 face on the precise. There’s even a devoted “Expressions” menu, with choices that embody snicker, joyful, mad, unhappy, shocked, pondering, thumbs up, and thumbs down.
iOS 18.6 picture in center, iOS 26 picture on properChatGPT Integration
ChatGPT picture era capabilities are included in Picture Playground in iOS 26, so there are an expanded vary of kinds to select from. There are a couple of prompt choices, together with anime, oil portray, vector, print, and water coloration kinds, all of which use ChatGPT moderately than Apple’s capabilities to create the picture.
Anime, oil portray, and water coloration kinds in Picture PlaygroundThe output is just like what you get in case you use ChatGPT 4o for picture era, and you may make these cute anime-style photographs which have been floating across the web.
ChatGPT’s anime-style output in Picture PlaygroundThere’s additionally an open-ended “Any Fashion” choice to create photographs with ChatGPT, and that provides extra vary to what’s doable with Picture Playground. ChatGPT can primarily mimic any model that you just ask it to, and it may possibly generate practical photographs, which isn’t one thing that Apple’s picture era expertise does.
A “practical” picture of a fowl on prime of a cat’s head.As with normal Picture Playground picture era, you may make a text-based request or add a picture to ChatGPT and ask it to make use of that as the idea for a picture. Pictures that you just add and textual content requests might be mixed.
Creating photographs with ChatGPT makes use of up tokens, and you probably have a free account, you in all probability will not have the ability to create a couple of or two photographs. Profiting from ChatGPT picture creation options in Picture Playground past that requires a paid account.
Genmoji
Picture Playground in iOS 18 doesn’t assist creating Genmoji, and that is a separate function positioned within the Messages app. In iOS 26, you need to use Picture Playground for Genmoji.
Genmoji is a method that you could choose, and selecting it opens up an interface the place you possibly can select an emoji or a number of emoji to customise. One of many new Genmoji options in iOS 26 is the choice to mix emoji to make new emoji moderately than ranging from scratch with a personality, and this functionality is obtainable in Picture Playground along with the Messages app.
You’ll be able to faucet a number of emoji to create a brand new one, or select an emoji after which add text-based descriptions to make tweaks. There is no such thing as a possibility to make use of images for Genmoji. The Genmoji that you just make are added to your emoji keyboard and so they can be utilized in Messages.
Labeling
Once you ship somebody a picture generated with Picture Playground in iOS 26, like over AirDrop, it’s labeled as a generated picture within the file identify.
